During a recent meeting with a dentist, we reviewed notable improvements in a variety of practice performance measures, and we discussed how his financials looked so much healthier than the year before. Certainly there were many aspects to his success, but the driving force was stronger leadership.
In the past, we spent considerable time unraveling staff issues, which slowed the progress of the entire dental practice. But now the team is aligned with him, issues are addressed in their infancy, and the dentist and team are focused on causes, not problems. How did he get to this point?
First, the dentist committed to emphasize what is important, meaning he used morning huddles and team meetings to keep the team focused on key expectations. This included everything from asking for referrals to scheduling more pending treatment to guiding more new patient emergencies to preventive care. We identified a number of goals throughout the year and the dentist reinforced the importance.
Second, the dentist refused to put his head in the sand any longer. He started meeting with his team members individually at least every two months, and he discovered this was critical for solving misunderstanding while the issues were still minor. It also helped the dentist provide valuable feedback and coaching, which made the team even stronger.
Finally, the dentist and team found much more success getting at the root cause of challenges. Instead of wondering how to fix a challenge, such as communication between the front and back team, the dentist led his team to really get at the root cause of the problem. This led to the consistent development of long-term solutions.
Would you like to enjoy more success in your dental practice? It starts with effective leadership. Consider how you implement the aforementioned three traits to take your practice to the next level.
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